Written Answers Wednesday 17 June 2009

Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the appointment of a new chair of the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Nicola Sturgeon: The appointment of Mr David Garbutt as Chair of the Scottish Ambulance Service was announced on Tuesday 9 June 2009. The associated news release can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/06/08170034.

Climate Change

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the Climate Change Delivery Plan for meeting the statutory climate change targets proposed in the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill.

Stewart Stevenson: The Climate Change Delivery Plan:  Meeting Scotland’s Statutory Climate Change Targets  is being published on 17 June 2009 and will be available through the Scottish Governments website at www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechangedeliveryplan . Copies will also be placed with the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (SPICe) when available, (Bib. number 48399).

Climate Change

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the annual progress report on tackling climate change in Scotland will be published.

Stewart Stevenson: The Climate Change in Scotland: Annual Report 2008-09 is being published on 17 June 2009 and will be available through the Scottish Governments website at www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechangeannualreport08-09 . Copies will also be placed with the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (SPICe) when available, (Bib. number 48427).

Education

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many primary schools provide one-to-one reading support.

Keith Brown: The information requested is not held centrally.

Energy

Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on carbon capture and storage in relation to planning guidance for thermal power stations.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government is determined to ensure that we become Europe’s leader in carbon capture and storage (CCS).

  Under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, the building of any new thermal based stations would require consent from Scottish Government ministers. We published draft Section 36 guidance for thermal power stations in late 2008 for consultation. We published the individual responses in March 2009 and have since held subsequent workshops to discuss some of the issues in more detail.

  Details of the response to the consultation have been lodged with Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (SPICe) and can also be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Energy-Consents/Thermal-Guidance/TGresponses.

  The UK Government has now issued a consultation on a number of aspects of CCS, including proposals for a levy on generation to fund demonstration projects, consideration of the issue of Emissions Performance Standards and policy proposals for the basis on which coal fired power stations will be required to operate in the future. This consultation is due to end in September 2009 and the Scottish Government is working closely with the UK Government on this matter.

  With this consultation in mind, we have decided to await the completion of the UK consultation process before issuing our final thermal generation guidance. This will ensure that the regulatory framework in broad terms is similar across the UK as a whole, with the overall objective of encouraging CCS deployment and the objective of decarbonisation of the electricity sector by 2030.

  In the meantime, we can confirm that in relation to Carbon Capture Readiness (CCR), we agree with the position as set out by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on April 23 2009. These proposals were also broadly supported in the responses to our own consultation. The Scottish Government will now only consider applications if they have demonstrated consideration of the following criteria:

  "demonstrate that they have sufficient space on or near the site to accommodate carbon capture equipment in the future";

  "undertake an assessment into the technical and economic feasibility of retrofitting carbon capture technology";

  "propose a suitable area of deep geological storage offshore for the storage of captured CO2";

  "undertake an assessment into the technical and economic feasibility of transporting the captured CO2 to their proposed storage area"; and

  "if necessary, apply for and obtain Hazardous Substance Consent (HSC)".

  This position will now apply to all new gas, oil, biomass, waste-to-energy and also coal power station applications on or above 300MW. I should also like to confirm that we have asked the Scottish Environmental Protection Authority to work with us on preparations for CCR assessment.

  On the issue of requirements for CCS demonstrators and a possible Emissions Performance Standard for new coal fired power stations, we want to work with the UK Government closely on this issue. We have already received a number of representations on these points in our consultation on thermal guidance and will give serious consideration to these options as we take the matter forward. We are therefore considering, in line with the UK approach:

  Requiring any new coal power station in Scotland to demonstrate CCS on a defined part of its capacity;

  Requiring new coal stations to retrofit CCS to their full capacity within five years of CCS being independently judged technically and economically proven;

  The development of an Emissions Performance Standard in line with the development of CCS technology.

  As the First Minister stated at the launch of the Scottish Research Report into Carbon Capture and Storage on 1 May, the Scottish Government is determined to ensure that we become Europe’s leader in carbon capture and storage. The Scottish Government will continue to work with the UK Government, EU, business, research and academics to ensure we fully capitalise on Scotland’s potential.

Energy Efficiency

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24323 by Jim Mather on 4 June 2009, for what reason energy efficiency measures on their own are not funded by the Communities and Renewable Energy Scheme.

Jim Mather: The primary aim of the Communities and Renewable Energy Scheme is to promote the take up of renewables technologies in Scotland. However, in recognition of the importance of reducing energy consumption, all projects must also undertake an assessment of measures to improve their energy efficiency.

  While energy efficiency measures offer the most cost effective way to achieve carbon savings, the Scottish Government recognises that community organisations do not always have the finances required to implement such improvements. Our Energy Saving Scotland small business loans scheme is therefore also open to not-for-profit organisations and charities, offering interest-free loans of up to £100,000 for a range of energy efficiency measures. The scheme is delivered through the Energy Saving Scotland advice network who can be contacted on 0800 512 012.

Finance

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the recent redesign of its website cost.

John Swinney: The cost of the recent redesign of the Scottish Government’s website from concept to implementation was £14,837 excluding VAT.

Fisheries

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered phasing out the practice of raising salmon smolts in open net-pens in freshwater rivers and lochs that have native migratory fish populations.

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has examined the environmental benefits of raising salmon smolts in closed containers.

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has examined the animal welfare benefits of raising salmon smolts in closed containers.

Roseanna Cunningham: The recently published renewed strategic framework for Scottish aquaculture, A Fresh Start , has as an outcome for one of its working groups that the aquaculture industry will use "the most appropriate equipment or facilities for containment at freshwater sites". The working group will consider the best published evidence and consider whether further research is required before coming to its conclusion on the best means to achieve this outcome.

Influenza

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to protect vulnerable older people in care homes in relation to influenza A(H1N1).

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to protecting vulnerable older people in the community in relation to influenza A(H1N1).

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to assist the containment of influenza A(H1N1) in care homes.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued in relation to staff caring for older people in the event of an influenza A(H1N1) epidemic.

Nicola Sturgeon: To assist local authorities and independent community care providers in planning for pandemic influenza, the Scottish Government issued two publications in November 2007:

  Planning for pandemic influenza in community care: an operational and strategic framework: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/10/23104313/0.

  Planning for pandemic influenza in adult community care: guidelines for community care staff: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/10/23095221/0.

  The strategic framework covers all community care services for adults including care homes and care at home, and the guidelines for community care staff include infection control guidance.

  In addition, the Scottish Government, the Association of Directors of Social Work and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities jointly issued a self assessment tool to all local authorities on 1 May 2009 to assist them further with their pandemic flu planning for community care.

  Local authorities are responsible for delivering community care services at home, for vulnerable older people in their area who have been assessed as needing care. Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, local authorities are required to plan for the continuing performance of their functions in the event of an emergency such as the outbreak of pandemic influenza. They are also required to come together with other organisations that will be involved in responding to an emergency, including health boards, to form Strategic Co-ordinating Groups (SCGs). All care services registered with the Care Commission under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, are also required by regulations to have procedures in place for dealing with emergencies.

  Guidance on specific health issues such as the prevention of the transmission of swine flu is also available from Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and is routinely updated as further information becomes available.

Livestock

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects Scottish ministers to meet the European Commissioner for Health to discuss the proposals for the electronic identification for sheep before the end of (a) June or (b) July 2009.

Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government continues to work at ministerial and official levels with the European Commission, the UK Government and other member states to achieve the best possible solution for Scottish farmers on the EU proposals for electronic identification of sheep.

  The Scottish Government raised electronic identification with Secretary of State Hilary Benn and other devolved administrations ministers at a meeting on 2 June and a common strategy was agreed for engagement across Europe. The Scottish Government has already achieved concessions on the implementation of electronic identification of sheep and further proposals are currently under consideration. Whether there will be a need to meet with the European Commissioner for Health will be considered in the light of further developments across member states and at Commission level.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS staff have a pay rate of under £7 per hour, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: Only points one and two on the 56 point Agenda for Change salary scale are below £7 per hour and are currently £6.76 and £6.94 respectively. Both of these rates are already substantially more than the minimum wage of £5.73 per hour. It should also be noted that all Agenda for Change staff receive incremental progression as well as cost of living increases. These are, therefore, the bottom points on scales which staff move up as their experience increases. From modelling data available centrally, it is estimated that some 8,000 staff in NHSScotland are currently on these two pay points.

  It is not possible from the information held centrally to break this number down according to NHS board.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what it would cost per annum to implement a minimum pay rate of £7 per hour for all NHS staff.

Nicola Sturgeon: There are various approaches which could be adopted to ensure that no NHSScotland staff member received less than £7 per hour.

  Depending on which approach was chosen, it is estimated that it would cost between £3.1 and £7.3 million to introduce a £7 per hour minimum wage in NHSScotland in the 2009-10 financial year. There may also be further additional costs of up to £3.4 million in 2010-11.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the lowest hourly pay rate is for NHS staff and how many staff are employed at that rate.

Nicola Sturgeon: The lowest hourly rate currently available in NHSScotland is £6.76 which is significantly above the current minimum wage of £5.73 per hour. From modelling data available centrally it is estimated that some 5,000 staff are on this rate.

  It is unlikely that any pay point will be below £7 per hour from 1 April 2011.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Enterprise

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many small and medium-sized enterprises (a) bid for contracts for services in the Parliament and (b) were successful in whole or part, also expressed as a percentage, in each year since 1999.

Tom McCabe: The information below shows how many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been successful in bidding for Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) contracts (goods and services) by number since April 2003.

  This historical information is only available from 2003 in a percentage format as this was when procurement services commenced its Responsible Purchasing Initiative, part of which contained a commitment to actively remove barriers to SME participation in SPCB procurement.

  To date, the number of SMEs that have bid for contracts has not been recorded. However, as part of the SPCB’s Responsible Purchasing Strategy, procurement services is currently developing a system to obtain this information, which will start to be published from 1 April 2010 (from this date we will also record and publish the same statistics for social enterprises)

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/corporate/procurement/docs/Strategy-FINAL.pdf.

  

 Years
 Total Number of Contracts Let to SMEs


 2003-04
 39%


 2004-05
 48%


 2005-06
 45%


 2006-07
 62%


 2007-08
 67%


 2008-09
 53%